2nd Construction Battalion

Canada Post

The No. 2 Construction Battalion was formed from a group of young Black men who wanted to enlist in the Canadian military during the First World War, but were not allowed to fight alongside white soldiers due to issues of prejudice at that time. Capturing the story of the Battalion in their primary role with the Forestry Corps was the main objective of this stamp design and the most direct way to do that was to embed an image of the soldiers within a forest. The harshness of the conditions of both society and war was also something necessary to convey. The stark use of black and white and elements of contrast and scale aid in creating an ominous and dramatic scene and feeling.